Student calls himself guinea pig for God

Life's obstacles only push him toward dream.

Life's obstacles only push him toward dream.

June 25, 2006|PATI LALONDE The Bay City Times

AUBURN, Mich. (AP) -- Jacob Krzysiak calls himself a guinea pig for God. The 29-year-old Auburn resident has used a wheelchair since the age of 5 and lost his eyesight about three years ago. God, he says, is testing his will. Just when he learns to cope with one obstacle, another seems to come his way. A lot of people, he says, "find it weird" that he's not saddled by a bad attitude, given his health issues. Instead, he's resolved to not let life's hardships get him down. It's an attitude he wants to use to help others. Krzysiak's dream is to one day work as a counselor. He's completed his first semester at Delta College, and plans to continue his education at Saginaw Valley State University, one day graduating with the master's degree he'll need to achieve his goal. By his own estimation, completing the work will take twice as long as it does for an average student. "He's a phenomenal student and an inspiration to me," said Denise Hill, his English teacher at Delta College. "Jake knows he really does have to work three or four times harder than other students just to get his work done." Along with his ability to persevere, Krzysiak says he has life's experiences on his side as well. "I'm going into grief counseling," he said. "When you go to a job interview, the employers ask if you have experience. In my field I'm experienced all the way." The idea to become a counselor was planted in high school but solidified when Krzysiak was in his 20s. He had met some others with disabilities who were contemplating "the big S," Krzysiak said, referring to suicide. "The big S isn't in my vocabulary," he says. Besides working toward his degree, Krzysiak is helping to raise his two daughters, Courtney Lynn, 8, and Jordan Rose, 5. Divorced, Krzysiak cares for his daughters every other weekend and at least one day a week. Overcoming obstacles is something Krzysiak has been doing most of his life. Born Dec. 27, 1976, Krzysiak was never able to walk. Doctors told his parents he had symptoms of multiple sclerosis, polio, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. But being in a wheelchair didn't stop him from attending elementary school, or playing T-ball. Although he sometimes played with a pinch runner, he did experience the thrill of barreling down the baseline -- very uniquely," in his words. "If I hit it, I would take off to first base," he said. "There was a cloud of dirt. I would push my chair, dragging my feet. I would make so much dust they couldn't find me. Sometimes I got to second, too." He was the team catcher. On the evening of Oct. 4, 2003, he and a few friends, headed to the Tri-City Speedway track. But Krzysiak noticed something startling: yellow specks in the vision of his left eye. There were more specks the next morning. By the next day, the sight in his left eye was gone. While he does have some sight in his right eye, that is slowly going as well. The diagnosis is that the central nerves in his eyes are degenerating. Specialists cannot tell him why.